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All about Samsung Galaxy S4

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RedRooster said:
Is there a launcher you can use with the S4 that makes everything look like stock Android/Holo? I'm on the verge of upgrading from my GNex, but having watched some of the youtube videos, TouchWiz looks like something from Android 2.2. Giant fonts, ugly buttons/settings menu, awful green color in the notification bar. Would a launcher fix all that?
Click to expand...

A launcher won't change the settings menu or the top bar, you'd have to root and theme it or flash a ROM.
 
RedRooster said:
Is there a launcher you can use with the S4 that makes everything look like stock Android/Holo? I'm on the verge of upgrading from my GNex, but having watched some of the youtube videos, TouchWiz looks like something from Android 2.2. Giant fonts, ugly buttons/settings menu, awful green color in the notification bar. Would a launcher fix all that?
Click to expand...
Other than the large-ish font (which can easily be changed...), I find none of that to be true. Green notification bar? What?
 
If you're used to Holo or even Sense, Touchwiz is really odd-looking.

@RedRooster
You'll just have to flash a custom ROM unfortunately. You can't get rid of the giant Samsung notification buttons and setting menu otherwise.
 
rcpratt said:
Other than the large-ish font (which can easily be changed...), I find none of that to be true. Green notification bar? What?
Click to expand...

Just the colors of the icons, I prefer the soothing blue of stock.
Thanks for the info on font size! Maybe I'll jump in anyways.
 
Yes, Touchwiz looks like Gingerbread. The only way to fix it is custom ROM- either a CM-based ROM without any Touchwiz, or a ROM that re-themes Touchwiz to look modern.

I literally sighed with relief when I got CM on my S4. Touchwiz is so dated it hurts.
 
poofyhairguy said:
Yes, Touchwiz looks like Gingerbread. The only way to fix it is custom ROM- either a CM-based ROM without any Touchwiz, or a ROM that re-themes Touchwiz to look modern.

I literally sighed with relief when I got CM on my S4. Touchwiz is so dated it hurts.
Click to expand...

Dumb question, I think I know the answer but I'm not afraid to look dumb.

When you ROM a phone, that basically stops it from getting any OTA updates at all, right? Obviously nothing would come from Samsung or the carrier anymore, but nothing comes from the actual ROM you're running either right? Like if you flashed CM, you wouldn't get some kind of OTA updates(I can't see how it would work anyways), you'd have to wipe and reflash a newer version, correct? I don't think I'm ready for that kind of data loss commitment. 🙂
 
RedRooster said:
When you ROM a phone, that basically stops it from getting any OTA updates at all, right? Obviously nothing would come from Samsung or the carrier anymore, but nothing comes from the actual ROM you're running either right? Like if you flashed CM, you wouldn't get some kind of OTA updates(I can't see how it would work anyways), you'd have to wipe and reflash a newer version, correct?
Click to expand...

No, not necessarily.

The ROM I use for my S4, AOKP, gets updated often by the developer. For these updates I can just wipe caches and flash a new version. The developer even has an app that keeps track of updates for you (that is broken right now but worked for my S2) and allows you to update from within that app. The updates are usually giving extra functionality, or using a newer base (as CM is constantly improving) that fixes bugs.

If you hop between different ROMs, or a ROM has a MAJOR upgrade then sometimes you have to wipe your data.
 
If you're on CyanogenMod, you'll be on newer versions of Android than OTA so that's hardly a problem (the nightly updates don't need wiping). The only question is whether you want to use the Samsung-exclusive features (may be less of a problem when the Google GS4 is out).


Even on Touchwiz-based custom ROMs, if your ROM developer is halfway decent, they'll release an update to the new OTA base not long after the OTA becomes available so you don't need to wipe either.


poofyhairguy said:
If you hop between different ROMs, or a ROM has a MAJOR upgrade then sometimes you have to wipe your data.
Click to expand...
This.
 
ChronoReverse said:
If you're on CyanogenMod, you'll be on newer versions of Android than OTA so that's hardly a problem (the nightly updates don't need wiping). The only question is whether you want to use the Samsung-exclusive features (may be less of a problem when the Google GS4 is out).


Even on Touchwiz-based custom ROMs, if your ROM developer is halfway decent, they'll release an update to the new OTA base not long after the OTA becomes available so you don't need to wipe either.
Click to expand...

So how would those updates be checked for and downloaded/installed? A seperate program on the phone like poofy said? That doesn't sound so bad.
 
RedRooster said:
So how would those updates be checked for and downloaded/installed? A seperate program on the phone like poofy said? That doesn't sound so bad.
Click to expand...

Usually you'd simply read on a site that there's a "NEW OTA FROM SAMSUNG". You'd then wait a week and you'd be able to download a new flashable zip from your ROM developer and install it.
 
RedRooster said:
So how would those updates be checked for and downloaded/installed? A seperate program on the phone like poofy said? That doesn't sound so bad.
Click to expand...

Take a look at Goo Manager:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.s0up.goomanager&hl=en

In the app, you search for updates (I think you can even set it to notify you when they are released). Then in the app you download the update plus anything else you need (for CM roms you also need to download the Gapps package again in the app) and then flash that update in the app.

Look at the pictures on the Play Store and you will get an idea.
 
Got mine today. Somehow I'd thought the GNex used a full-size SIM, but it doesn't, so I just swapped. Of course, I rooted it before ever putting it on the network.

Next up: TWRP, TiBu, and setup.
 
ChronoReverse said:
As an aside, but pertinent to the GS4, the Xposed Framework is an awesome addon:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1574401

I installed the App Settings module and shrank down the enormous notification buttons in Touchwiz using per app DPI.


And if you're on Touchwiz, you can try NottachXposed which will let you tweak a bunch of settings (like the notification bar clock/battery icon/text colour/etc.).
Click to expand...

Wicked! Thank you.
 
I have a question and I haven't read this entire thread (mostly because I don't care that much). in that one commercial with the graduation ceremony when the mom takes a photo and the other student jumps in front, she "erases" the other student and it shows a perfect shot. How is it doing this? the camera can't know whats behind the other student to recreate it, right? I thought maybe it was taking a series of pics but we don't see that, unless it's done in the background? But if it did that, wouldn't the other student still be in the pic, just further behind, etc?
 
pontifex said:
I have a question and I haven't read this entire thread (mostly because I don't care that much). in that one commercial with the graduation ceremony when the mom takes a photo and the other student jumps in front, she "erases" the other student and it shows a perfect shot. How is it doing this? the camera can't know whats behind the other student to recreate it, right? I thought maybe it was taking a series of pics but we don't see that, unless it's done in the background? But if it did that, wouldn't the other student still be in the pic, just further behind, etc?
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
ChronoReverse said:
As an aside, but pertinent to the GS4, the Xposed Framework is an awesome addon:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1574401

I installed the App Settings module and shrank down the enormous notification buttons in Touchwiz using per app DPI.


And if you're on Touchwiz, you can try NottachXposed which will let you tweak a bunch of settings (like the notification bar clock/battery icon/text colour/etc.).
Click to expand...
This. Is the best thing. Ever.

Still playing with it, but seriously. Best thing ever.

The ability to be able to adjust the dpi (350-390 for me) by app unlocks a whole crazy new power of this 5" screen.
 
Last edited:
I installed the NottachXposed module, which is awesome because it lets me remove the carrier label from the lockscreen 😀

I also installed the App Settings module, but which setting do I change to affect the pull down notification panel's DPI?
 
GTRagnarok said:
I installed the NottachXposed module, which is awesome because it lets me remove the carrier label from the lockscreen 😀

I also installed the App Settings module, but which setting do I change to affect the pull down notification panel's DPI?
Click to expand...

System UI. It does have some side effects unfortunately. It'll also affect the height of the status bar and do weird things to the multi-tasking screen. Mostly minor issues and I'm willing to ignore those to have smaller notification buttons.
 
poofyhairguy said:
Take a look at Goo Manager:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.s0up.goomanager&hl=en

In the app, you search for updates (I think you can even set it to notify you when they are released). Then in the app you download the update plus anything else you need (for CM roms you also need to download the Gapps package again in the app) and then flash that update in the app.

Look at the pictures on the Play Store and you will get an idea.
Click to expand...

This.
GooManager is my best friend.
 
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